Krishna River dispute
Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has asked the respective states to settle the dispute over sharing of Krishna river waters through arbitration.
- The states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are involved in the dispute related to the allocation of Krishna river water. The SC has asked these states to consider the possibilities of amicable settlement of the dispute.
- Krishna is an east flowing river. It originates from Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra. This river flows through Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Finally it joins the Bay of Bengal
- It, along with its tributaries, forms a vast basin. Its basin covers 33 percent of the total area of the four states.
- The dispute over the sharing of Krishna water has been going on for many decades.
- Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT) was established in the year 1989. It was established under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act (RWD Act), 1956. Later, new complaints began to emerge among the states.
- Therefore, in the year 2004 the second Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT) was set up. The tenure of the Tribunal has been extended on an annual basis. Presently, the tribunal is hearing disputes on matters relating to the newly created Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states.
- Earlier, Lok Sabha has approved the Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
The following provisions have been made in it:
- The dispute should be referred to the Dispute Resolution Committee before sending it to the Tribunal.
- Establishment of a single Inter-State River Water Disputes Tribunal with multiple benches.
Source – The Hindu
